"Dr. T-" Examined and the Case of the "Ingenious A" "Saturday, Feby 1st a fine day. The ground covered with the deepest snow we have ever seen here (in 5 yrs.) - river frozen over. Dr. T- engaged in drawing at his plan for a House to build one day or another on Sq. 171." Or Why William Thornton Didn't Design the Octagon House and Isn't the "First Architect of the Capitol" By Bob Arnebeck author of Through a Fiery Trial: Building Washington 1790-1800 and Slave Labor in Capitol: Building Washington's Iconic Federal Landmarks Introduction: How Glenn Brown, an architect of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, helped his own career by making William Thornton the most famous American architect of the 18th century. Chapter One: A Tale of Two Properties (1755 to 1786) Lancaster, Tortola and a Scientific Education - The roots of Thornton's wealth, his Quaker education, medical degree and mentors Chapter Two: Going ...
Table of Contents The Doctor Examined, or Why William Thornton Did Not Design the Octagon House or the Capitol by Bob Arnebeck Introduction 1. William Thornton in 1804 In January 1793, Dr. William Thornton, who was just off a boat from Tortola, British Virgin Islands, drew the elevation and floor plan that won the design contest for the United States Capitol. The judge was President George Washington and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson quickly fed his boss's enthusiasm. Not five months later, the latter told the former that they had been fooled by an amateur. What Thornton had designed could not be built. The thirty-three year old's sole professional credential was an M.D. from a Scottish medical school. J...
The Doctor Examined, or Why William Thornton Did Not Design the Octagon House or the Capitol by Bob Arnebeck Table of contents Chapter 11: Designing the Octagon Mrs. Thornton by Stuart 1804 Construction of the Octagon continued throughout 1800, but Mrs. Thornton's only description of the house came in her entry for January 7: "a beautiful clear day.... After dinner we walked to take a look at Mr. Tayloe's house which begins to make a handsome appearance." C. M. Harris counts that and the other seven walks in which she mentioned the house, without commenting on its appearance, as evidence that Thornton kept tabs on the house he designed. By the way, the Thorntons would have another reason to walk down New York Avenue toward the Potomac River. They owned lots in the Square 171 just below Square 170 where the Octagon was being built. In the spring, he would have it planted with buckwheat and fenced.(1) The Octagon in 1807 On January 7, he had a special reas...
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